The afternoon opened with a candle-lighting ceremony. “We are women of peace. Our work is illuminated by our commitment to our communities. Spirituality guides us,”  said Otilia Lux de Coti of FIMI, an Indigenous women’s rights group and MADRE partner. The panelists lit four honorific candles—yellow for sunrise, purple for sunset, green for all the life forms on earth and blue for our ancestors.

The flames shone brightly as the speakers talked about the many forms that gender-based violence takes. A young Ogiek girl in Kenya undergoes genital mutilation. An adolescent in Nepal is kidnapped and trafficked into a brothel. A mother is raped in wartime by guerillas to terrorize an entire community.  A 70-year-old grandmother withstands decades of domestic abuse.

Progress against these horrors has begun by calling them by their right name: human rights abuses.

Progress begins too when women break their silence about abuse, bring it to international forums and disavow shame. “We need to talk about our suffering,” said Silvia Perez from Mexico. Shimreichon Luithui of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact recounted some progress: A woman who attended one of her programs returned home to tell her husband that she had rights and that his rights did not include beating her. He stopped.

Progress begins with “building partnerships,” said Monica Aleman of the Ford Foundation (and also a longtime member of the MADRE family!), lauding FIMI and “each organization that has come forward to help.”  Mirna Cunningham, who just completed a term as chair of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, noted that the May session was complemented by at least 20 panel discussions on violence against Indigenous women.  Progress begins when women from across the globe call each other “sister,” as they did at the panel.

And progress begins with healing. So the meeting concluded with another ceremony: A life-sized image of a woman was laid on the floor like a rug, and participants strewed flowers over her, giving benedictions for strength.

A young Indigenous activist from Canada said, “I see all these beautiful women together, and I am really proud.”

The event was the Sixth Annual Mother’s Day Peace Stroll, organized by CODEPINK NYC and the Granny Peace Brigade. Both are women’s groups dedicated to ending war. MADRE and protestors from the Occupy Wall Street movement also contributed to the day.

A three-block long cavalcade of pacifist strollers stepped off from Columbus Circle at noon, with banners and chants.  The Granny Peace Bridgade sang homemade protest songs with brio, wearing flowered hats.  The Rude Mechanical Orchestra played marching-band versions of traditional protest songs. “Occupy Wall Street, Not Palestine.” “We want Peace and Education. No More Wars and Occupations.”  “I’m a Raging Grandma.” “Democracy is Not a Spectator Sport.”  Such were the tee-shirts and slogans that abounded.

The day was breezy and sunny. Our spirits were high. We wended our way through the city’s Upper West Side, receiving “thank yous,” thumbs-up signs and pumping victory fists.  We trekked through two street fairs, a flea market and the grand fields of Central Park, filled with thousands of frolickers eager to see a parade. We distributed hundreds of leaflets containing Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation on disarmament. When the group arrived at the wide steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, we read the words aloud.

“We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated Earth, a voice goes up with our own,” she wrote, with a sense of the connection between women, peace and the health of the planet, a connection that informs MADRE’s mission today.

“Disarm. Disarm,” Howe urged, so that “the great human family can live in peace.”

Time and again, evidence has emerged to show that local farming is the key to ending hunger. Small-scale farmers worldwide, many of whom are women, already raise crops that help feed local communities, using organic methods that don’t pollute the environment.

What’s more, studies on crop yields* highlighted by Food First have shown that organic methods are just as productive as conventional, industrial agricultural methods—in good years. And in bad years, with droughts and other threats triggered by climate change, organic farming is better.

Organic farmers can raise healthier food and stronger crops, without the pollution of chemical fertilizers. They can even improve on land depleted by industrial agricultural methods, increasing productivity by up to 300%.

But there’s not enough support—as Food First points out, funding for industrial agriculture outstrips that for organic methods by 99 to 1. Meanwhile, “the bulk of industrially produced grain crops goes to biofuels and confined animal feedlots,” rather to feed the hungry. (For more on MADRE’s stance on biofuels, click here).

To fight hunger in their communities, MADRE partners – like Zenab for Women in Development in Sudan and Wangki Tangni in Nicaragua – are supporting women farmers in impoverished regions of the world to farm in eco-friendly ways that boost local markets.

In Sudan, Zenab and MADRE are providing women farmers with the support and necessary resources to provide food for their families through our project Women Farmers Unite. Together, we furnish women farmers with seeds, tools and training to bolster their harvests.

On the North Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua, Wangki Tangni and MADRE are combating hunger, poverty and unemployment through our project Harvesting Hope. This project provides resources and trainings to Indigenous Miskito women in organic farming, women’s health and Indigenous women’s rights. Thanks to Harvesting Hope, women are even able to sell surplus crops for profit.

To combat world hunger, we should take a lesson from our sisters in Sudan and Nicaragua, and focus our attention on the real reasons it exists. Only then can we effect real change.

*“Crop yields” is a term used to describe agricultural output, specifically the amount of a crop harvested per unit of land.

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate mothers and to honor the invaluable work they do—at home, in the workplace, in the public sphere, everywhere. Here at MADRE, our work to advance women’s human rights is shaped by the realities mothers worldwide face daily. We work together with mothers to change these conditions and to demand their rights. We start by listening to their stories.

This Mother’s Day we’re sharing these inspiring stories with you. Today’s story comes from Yanar Mohammed, the leader of MADRE’s sister organization, the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI).

As an Iraqi women’s human rights defender, Yanar advocates for peace and equality, facing conflict and discrimination, and often even risking her life.

Here, she reflects on how her experiences as a mother have prepared her for the complexities and dangers of this work. As Yanar explains it,

“Becoming a mother changes you from an individual into someone who is inextricably connected to—and responsible for—other people’s lives. Being a mother is about making the connection between the life you have brought into the world and all life. It’s about stepping up to meet the needs of those who are vulnerable. Developing that capability prepares you for the even bigger mission of creating social change.  You see that any big, positive change needs to be birthed, nurtured and committed to with constancy.  I see this in the women of Iraq.  They are more prepared for the challenge of living through this difficult time than their men, more resilient because of the experience of being mothers.”

In partnership with MADRE, OWFI builds on these connections and works for social change. Yanar’s organization serves the needs of Iraqi women and their families by providing them with shelters that help to shield them from the rising violence against women brought on by the US occupation.

OWFI’s Al Mousawat (Equality) Radio is a force against the fundamentalist mindset of Iraqi mainstream media. It connects Iraqi women to one another, letting them know that they are not alone, while making a space for their voices, introducing progressive ideas and offering information on human rights.

This Mother’s Day, let us celebrate motherhood’s ability to build strength and alliances among all women–from Guatemala to Sudan, from Iraq to the United States–in our struggles for environmental and economic justice, health care and peace.

You can support this work by buying a gift for the mothers in your life on the MADRE Webstore, or by making a donation in her name.

Polls show that US public opinion is shifting to support marriage rights for all. However, MADRE also underscores that the right to marry is an internationally-recognized human right that must be upheld. We call on the President to advance policies that put his words into action.

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate mothers and to honor the invaluable work they do—at home, in the workplace, in the public sphere, everywhere. Here at MADRE, our work to advance women’s human rights is shaped by the realities mothers worldwide face daily. We work together with mothers to change these conditions and to demand their rights. We start by listening to their stories.

This Mother’s Day, we’re sharing these inspiring stories with you. Today’s story comes from Marie*, a member of our sister organization in Haiti, KOFAVIV.

Marie was a single mother raising three girls when the catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti on January 12, 2010. Though she worked as a street vendor, her sister was the primary breadwinner for their family. Her sister died in the earthquake, leaving behind Marie’s nephew for her to care for.

Photo credit: Daniel Smith

Marie’s home was destroyed. She was left without a means to support herself or her children. So Marie moved to a camp in Fontamara. Then, two days after the earthquake, she saw two men raping another woman.

She confronted them and told them to stop, but instead they turned on her.

Marie didn’t go to the police. She was afraid of retribution from her attackers. She also knew that many reports of rape went un-punished. She went for treatment to the general hospital, but it was so overcrowded that all they could give her were some pills and a prescription she could not afford. The doctor there threw away the evidence of her rape.

Marie’s experiences left her with recurring nightmares, suicidal thoughts, extreme anxiety, trouble sleeping and a fear of being alone. She was unable to work to support her family.

A couple of months after the attack, Marie found KOFAVIV, a MADRE partner and Haitian grassroots organization created by and for survivors of rape. The women there provide the access to health services, food, emergency shelter and counseling to help rape survivors recover. It is a place where, as Marie says, “women feel safe.”

When Marie got the vital support she needed from KOFAVIV, she changed her life. They gave her care and support to rebuild her life—and the lives of her children. Today, she is working again, and she returns often to KOFAVIV’s Women’s Center, an oasis of safety.

This Mother’s Day, you can help support a mother like Marie by making a gift to our Mother’s Day Emergency Fund. Click here to learn more.

You can also purchase these handmade items for a mother you know through the MADRE’s Webstore. There, you’ll also find handmade items from the women and mothers of our other sister organizations.

*Not her real name.

If so, I’d like to invite you to a special event. Please join us for the MADRE Webstore Open House!

It’s a chance for you to shop for beautiful gifts—like bags, scarves, bookmarks, jewelry and more—handmade by women from the communities of our sister organizations. Proceeds will support our work with mothers struggling to build a better future for their families and communities.

Stop by anytime between 12pm and 6pm, Monday, May 7, to Friday, May 11 at MADRE’s office located at 121 W. 27th Street, #301 (between 6th and 7th Avenues).

Warm regards from MADRE, and we hope to see you there!

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate mothers and to honor the invaluable work they do—at home, in the workplace, in the public sphere, everywhere. Here at MADRE, our work to advance women’s human rights is shaped by the realities mothers worldwide face daily. We work together with mothers to change these conditions and to demand their rights. We start by listening to their stories.

This Mother’s Day, we’re sharing these inspiring stories with you. Today’s story comes from Ana Ceto, a leader of MADRE’s sister organization in Guatemala, Muixil.

As a very young child in the northern highlands of Guatemala, Ana Ceto grew up at the height of a civil war, in an area where that war was most fiercely fought. Human rights abuses, especially against Indigenous Peoples, were widespread. She saw fields rich with produce and effort burned to nothing. Food was scarce and violence everywhere.

At 18, Ana began her work to demand human rights. She struggled to document the identities of displaced people rebuilding their lives. She worked with organizations to identify victims. She collected testimonies from survivors of massacres.

At 23, Ana, along with other community members, founded Muixil, a grassroots organization of Indigenous Mayan women working together to promote the health, well-being and rights of their families and communities.

Today, the vibrant colors of traditional weaving dance before her eyes when she gathers the wares produced by the women’s weaving cooperative in her home of El Quiche. Chickens cackle and cluck in the yards of Indigenous women in the community, many of them widows and single mothers. With help from Muixil, these projects help women build independence and economic self-sufficiency. They sell their weavings at market, and chickens produce eggs to sell and for their families to eat. Many mothers use the money they raise to send their children to school.

Ana herself is a mother of three small children. She knows how important it is to be able to provide for her children, put food on the table and send them to school—a right Ana had to fight hard for.

MADRE and Muixil also work together to help Indigenous women participate in political processes.

Recently, Ana testified before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, as they reviewed Guatemala’s human rights record. She described flagrant violations inflicted on Indigenous Peoples and women. She lent an impassioned voice to the findings of  the “Report on Violations of Women’s Human Rights in Guatemala” submitted to the Committee by MADRE, Muixil and other human rights groups.

“MADRE has given us strong support. You gave us the first funds for the weaving cooperative and made this trip to New York possible. We are very thankful,” she told the MADRE staff after her testimony at the UN.

When she visited the MADRE office, Ana showed us the women’s weaving. “We make designs according to the different traditions in our communities. When we show our products, people like what we make. The women are very active, very proud,” Ana said.

The Muixil weavers’ woven bags, scarves, bracelets, bookmarks and belts are a beauty to behold. This Mother’s Day, you can purchase these products at the MADRE Webstore and support mothers like Ana!

The 2005 peace agreement and South Sudan’s secession from the north marked the end of a civil war that lasted nearly half a century. Civil war in Sudan displaced more that 4 million people and killed over an estimated 2 million.

Fighting reemerged in the past several weeks over ownership of the oil-rich region of Heglig, which falls on disputed borderlands.

Tens of thousands of people have already been displaced, and many have died as aerial bombardments target heavily populated areas.

To learn more about the growing crisis in Sudan, click on the links below:

“South Sudan Border Clashes Threaten Regional Hunger,” May 2, 2012 (Voice of America)

“Sudan’s President Rules Out Talks with South,” April 30, 2012 (Inter Press Service)

“South Sudan Says Sudan Continues Airstrikes,” April 30 2012 (The Wall Street Journal)

“Security Council urges immediate ceasefire between Sudan and South Sudan,” April 26, 2012 (UN News Centre)

“South Sudan’s Salva Kiir says Sudan has declared war,” April 24, 2012 (BBC News)

“SUDAN-SOUTH SUDAN: Heglig and the border,” April 13, 2012 (IRIN News)

But what if we really appreciated mothers all year long? What if we lived in a world where policies actually supported mothers?

What would this world look like?

For starters, our governments would recognize that mothers sustain families and communities. They would make that job easier. Governments would preserve social services, for child care, food assistance, health care and more. They wouldn’t cut them from budgets, forcing mothers to pay the price for Wall Street’s catastrophic failures.

In communities around the world, it is women, and particularly mothers, who take care of most people. And when public services are slashed, it’s mothers who pick up the slack. When childcare services are slashed, mothers still care for children, but without help. When food assistance services are cut, mothers are still expected to feed their families. When access to health care is restricted, the responsibility to care for the sick falls on women.

Mothers have always been society’s default safety nets. But today’s budget cuts are pushing mothers to the breaking point.

In a world where mothers were really appreciated, women’s reproductive rights would be secure. We would all understand that women must have the freedom to decide whether and when to have children, and whether to end a pregnancy. A woman who chooses to become a mother would have the health care and support she needs for a safe pregnancy.

And every woman would know that she and the children she mothers have a shot at a healthy life. Health means more than a lack of disease—it means access to food and clean water, to education, to economic opportunity. It also means a commitment from our government leaders to make sure these resources are within reach.

Mother’s Day in the US was born 140 years ago, as a day to honor the commitment of mothers to peace. And mothers worldwide have never stopped working to prevent war, to survive and to rebuild families and communities out of the rubble.

If mothers were really appreciated, their global call for peace would halt our leaders’ constant march to war.

MADRE is working to make this vision of a better world a reality. MADRE’s founders chose the name MADRE—Spanish for mother—to honor the women who demand their own and their families’ safety, health and human rights.

This Mother’s Day, let’s rededicate ourselves to these women and all mothers, who understand that mothering is about more than raising kids. It’s about building the world we all need.

In Kenya, we’re working with the Indigenous Information Network (IIN) to run shelters for girls fleeing forced marriage, a practice that sacrifices girls’ education and endangers their health in early pregnancy.

In Palestine, our partnership with Midwives for Peace helps pregnant women living under Israeli occupation access maternal health services that are often cut off by blockades and military checkpoints.

In Sudan and Guatemala, we’re helping women and their families grow local, sustainable food and access clean water. And around the world, we’re fighting for international laws that support all mothers and all women.

This Mother’s Day, we’re also sending a message to President Obama: “Family planning and abortion rights are essential to women’s health and safe motherhood.” Join the call at www.madre.org/mothers.